The Argosy, Vol. 61, No. 4 — page 68: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

626 better be another brick under there, Dick. But, here, let me fix it. You take the lever for a change, and I’ll try to manage the brick, although there’s nothing me- chanical about me.” ‘Except that satisfied smile,” grunted Pierce, in.a quite unneighborly tone. ‘“ Now to the pear-tree! ”’ cried Hicks. He had wondered at Pierce’s grumpi- ness, and determined to pitch in on the other job, and show that he was no shirker. “Yes, we’ve got a few more minutes left,” grumbled the other, endeavoring to rub back a misplaced arm muscle. “Oh, come, Dick. Don’t be so grumpy,” smiled Hicks, picking up a hammer. “ You go and hunt up your ax for the pear-tree, and I'l] pull up the rotten boards in the walk while you’re gone.” Pierce shuffiéd toward his cellar-door, sucking a bruised thumb; and Hicks, it now being his turn to show neighborly zeal, began furiously ripping up the planks, pulling part of the rotten string- ers away with them in his ardor. When the owner of the walk returned he found, but little planking left over which to exert his proprietorship. ‘“How’s that?’’ beamed the energetic Hicks. ‘‘ Now, we're all ready for the boards.” ‘Tt’s all right,’ was Pierce’s comment, “if we have time to get the boards in. But if we don’t I’ll have to show the family who thought of renting my place your house when they come, or the deal will fall through. Looks as though a crazy man lived here—instead of next door,” he added cuttingly. : ‘Oh, come on, Dick. I—I did my best, and we’ll have time to finish,’ re- torted the other, crowding down his re- sentment. “Maybe you did,” admitted Pierce grudgingly. ‘‘ But if you did, your best is pretty poor. ‘That’s all I’ve got to Say.” ‘It’s quite enough,” rejoined Hicks, as he picked up Pierce’s ax. ‘The man who was running for the presidency of Oak Forest took up a spade and began digging around the roots of his pear-tree. Neither said a word. Both glanced away when their eyes happened to meet. THE ARGOSY. Pierce mumbled to himself, as he wrung the perspiration from his hair and watched out of the corner of his eyes as Hicks hacked amateurishly at the roots of the tree. His mumbling sounded something like this: ‘‘ Fool, getting me to do all his work, and then coming over here and making my place look like a chicken- yard.” Qn the other hand, Hicks growled to himself as the ax slipped for the tenth time and took off a corner of his shoe: “ Fool, getting mad when a fellow tries to help him out. It’s a cinch. I'll never try this exchanging labor stunt again.” A triumphant look passed over Pierce’s face as he saw the ax slip again and take off another piece of Hicks’s shoe. Hicks caught the look. He was sud- denly spurred to madness and, raising Pierce’s ax high in the air, he brought it down with all his unskilled force. Crack! The ax handle hit the tree and broke off short; the head whirred through the air, and just missed Pierce’s ear. Pierce dropped his spade and faced the crude workman with a particularly ven- omous and angry glare. “Trying to kill me, or what?” he demanded. CHAPTER II. THE FIGHT IS ON. Hicks started to answer back. ‘Then he clenched his teeth and fists in a manly manner, got control of himself, glared for a second, and then parted his teeth just long enough to snap: “I’ll get my ax!” With head down, he doggedly marched to the rear of his own house. There he stopped and called: “ Bertha! Bertha! ”’ His wife put her dusting-capped head out of an up-stairs window and an- swered: ‘What is it, John?” ‘“Where’s the ax?” growled the head of the house. “Oh, that was it, John,” beamed his wife. “What was it?” snapped Hicks. “Why, that was what I wanted you to CO OO (©